Prostopinije
Encyclopedia
Prostopinije is a type of monodic
church chant
, closely related to Znamenny Chant. Prostopinije is used in the Ruthenian Catholic Church
and among the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox.
The tradition of Prostopinije chant is used in the lands of Galicia, Volhyn and Ruthenia
. The Prostopinije traces its roots to the Slavic traditions of Old Kievan chant and Bulgarian chant, both stemming from the ancient Byzantine chant tradition, however it was also affected by the local flok Carpathian music. The Prostopinije chant is purely monodic
, lacking ison
or any other support, as well as folk choral polyphony
. Melodically, Prostopinije resembles Znamenny Chant, and is closely related to it historically, but is considerably richer with chromatic movements, reflecting its relative closeness to the Bulgarian branch of the Byzantine tradition.
In 19th century and earlier in liturgical practice the chanting was performed by the trained cantor
soloist, however by the end of 19th century, through the efforts of Father Andrew Popovich (1809–1898,Velika Kopanya, Ugocha district), the tradition was changed drastically, and the whole congregation present in the church started to participate in the singing. This strong participation of lay people in the church singing was and still remains a relatively unique phenomenon among the similar chanting traditions.
In the beginning of 20th century some efforts to unify the Subcarpathian chanting traditions were also undertaken under supervision of Bishop Julius Firczak of Mukačevo by father John Bokšai (or Bokshai, 1874–1940) and cantor Joseph Malinič, resulting in a publication of first manual for the Carpathian Plain Chant, which was published in Užhorod in 1906.
Unfortunately for the Prostopinije tradition, it was replaced by the polyphonic Russian Orthodox Church
style of singing in many parishes both in Eastern Europe
and in the USA. Following the union of some of the Rusin
parishes with the Orthodox Church in America
, inspired by father Alexis Toth, the Prostopinije was somewhat discriminated against, and was in some cases replaced by the Obikhod. A gradual return to this traditional singing is happening now however, quite similar to processes of re-introduction of ancient chants in other churches and denominations.
towns of Mukačevo and Prešov
. Due to the geography of the region, the former of these 2 traditions become the main tradition of the Byzantine Rite Catholic Churches (through the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh), while the latter is relatively more used in the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church.
The Prostopinije chant was traditionally performed either in Church Slavonic, or in Hungarian
(with the Hungarian-language parishes adhering musically to the tradition of Mukačevo). In the modern practice in the USA this chant is performed in English
as well.
Monody
In poetry, the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another's death....
church chant
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
, closely related to Znamenny Chant. Prostopinije is used in the Ruthenian Catholic Church
Ruthenian Catholic Church
The Ruthenian Catholic Church is a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church , which uses the Divine Liturgy of the Constantinopolitan Byzantine Eastern Rite. Its roots are among the Rusyns who lived in the region called Carpathian Ruthenia, in and around the Carpathian Mountains...
and among the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox.
The tradition of Prostopinije chant is used in the lands of Galicia, Volhyn and Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...
. The Prostopinije traces its roots to the Slavic traditions of Old Kievan chant and Bulgarian chant, both stemming from the ancient Byzantine chant tradition, however it was also affected by the local flok Carpathian music. The Prostopinije chant is purely monodic
Monody
In poetry, the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another's death....
, lacking ison
Ison (music)
Ison is a drone note, or a slow-moving lower vocal part, used in Byzantine chant and some related musical traditions to accompany the melody, thus enriching the singing, at the same time not transforming it into a harmonized or polyphonic piece.- History :...
or any other support, as well as folk choral polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
. Melodically, Prostopinije resembles Znamenny Chant, and is closely related to it historically, but is considerably richer with chromatic movements, reflecting its relative closeness to the Bulgarian branch of the Byzantine tradition.
History
By the end of 18th century the first attempt to systematize and write down the body of Prostopinije melodies was undertaken by the cantor John Juhasevich (1741–1814). In 1793 a Preparatory School for Cantors and Teachers was established in Uzhorod by Bishop Andrew Bachinskyj.In 19th century and earlier in liturgical practice the chanting was performed by the trained cantor
Cantor
Cantor is surname of:* Andrés Cantor , Spanish-language soccer announcer* Anthony Cantor , British diplomat* Arthur Cantor , American theatrical producer* Aviva Cantor , American journalist, lecturer and author...
soloist, however by the end of 19th century, through the efforts of Father Andrew Popovich (1809–1898,Velika Kopanya, Ugocha district), the tradition was changed drastically, and the whole congregation present in the church started to participate in the singing. This strong participation of lay people in the church singing was and still remains a relatively unique phenomenon among the similar chanting traditions.
In the beginning of 20th century some efforts to unify the Subcarpathian chanting traditions were also undertaken under supervision of Bishop Julius Firczak of Mukačevo by father John Bokšai (or Bokshai, 1874–1940) and cantor Joseph Malinič, resulting in a publication of first manual for the Carpathian Plain Chant, which was published in Užhorod in 1906.
Unfortunately for the Prostopinije tradition, it was replaced by the polyphonic Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
style of singing in many parishes both in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and in the USA. Following the union of some of the Rusin
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
parishes with the Orthodox Church in America
Orthodox Church in America
The Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
, inspired by father Alexis Toth, the Prostopinije was somewhat discriminated against, and was in some cases replaced by the Obikhod. A gradual return to this traditional singing is happening now however, quite similar to processes of re-introduction of ancient chants in other churches and denominations.
Notation
Unlike with some other chanting traditions, Prostopinije remained a primarily aural, unwritten tradition for the major part of its history. There were ongoing attempts to notate this chant however, primarily as a means to systematize and unify it: first in Znamenny chant neumes, then (as of about year 1600) in "square and diamond" notation. Neither of these systems became really widespread however. In the contemporary practice the chant is written in standard Western staff notation.Local Variations
Due to the predominantly oral nature of the Prostopinije tradition, the majority of melodies do exist in various local variants, sometimes being different even in villages located nearby. Two biggest branches of the tradition may be named however: those originating fro the cathedralCathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
towns of Mukačevo and Prešov
Prešov
Prešov Historically, the city has been known in German as Eperies , Eperjes in Hungarian, Fragopolis in Latin, Preszów in Polish, Peryeshis in Romany, Пряшев in Russian and Пряшів in Rusyn and Ukrainian.-Characteristics:The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic...
. Due to the geography of the region, the former of these 2 traditions become the main tradition of the Byzantine Rite Catholic Churches (through the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh), while the latter is relatively more used in the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church.
The Prostopinije chant was traditionally performed either in Church Slavonic, or in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
(with the Hungarian-language parishes adhering musically to the tradition of Mukačevo). In the modern practice in the USA this chant is performed in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as well.
External Links and Further Reading
- Prostopinije - a page dedicated to the tradition, with a library of scores (in a Western staff notation), and sound examples.
- The Standard Teaching Text for Rusyn Chant By Steve Puluka